


The Flaw in the Code

by carolinagirl178



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Ashton helps Calum escape, Ashton's dad creates a flaw in Calum's code, Calum is Machine MMXII, Calum is his best friend, I guess he's being forced?, I haven't decided yet, Luke is his best friend, M/M, Michael works in a coffee shop, OMG I meant Luke, because of his tattoo, but he doesn't really agree with the government, government worker!Ashton, he is also a tattoo artist, machine!Calum, malum, maybe laston, maybe not idk, which is weird because he doesn't have any
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 04:25:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5613871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinagirl178/pseuds/carolinagirl178
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the year 2150. The government has created a secret facility to create machines. But not just any machines. Machines that look like regular people, talk like regular people, act like regular people. But they're not regular people. They have enhanced senses, they're super strong, they are great with hand-to-hand combat. But they can't think or feel for themselves.</p><p>Except for one.</p><p>They thought all of the machines followed the same code. They thought they were all the same. But they were wrong. Machine MMXII had a flaw in his code.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bad idea. Not the story. Writing two stories at the same time. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you for clicking this story! I hope you like it!

Chris Irwin hated his job. He didn't understand how it had come to this. When they first built this facility, they were just going to create machines to use in the World War III. Once they had won, they were creating them for "just in case" reasons. Eventually, though, it got out of hand. They started using them as spies among regular people for their own selfish purposes, without the public even knowing.

Chris hated it.

He wouldn't even be doing this anymore if he had a say in the matter, but he didn't. Not only did he and his wife Anne Marie need the money, but no one could leave the facility. It was a secret, so if anyone left, they would be tracked down and killed brutally. Not only him, but his wife and son as well, and the thought of his family being killed because of him was what always convinced him to stay, no matter how much he hated it.

Chris sighed while he continued working on Machine MMXII. He was typing in his code when an idea came to him. Why do all of the machines have to have the same code? It would be so easy for him to just "accidentally" make a mistake. Just one small mistake is all it would take...

But he couldn't. They would find out eventually, and they would trace it back to him. They would kill him for sure. It wouldn't be worth it.

But then he thought about little baby Ash, who was turning two in a few months. He didn't want his son to have to be stuck in the same situation as him, and he definitely didn't want his son to grow up knowing his father didn't do anything about it, even when he could've. He wanted more than anything for Ashton to be proud of him.

So, without giving it anymore thought, he made a flaw in Machine MMXII's code, knowing he would have to keep a close watch on this one.

 

*************************

 

It had been five years since Machine MMXII had been created, and Chris Irwin was watching him like a hawk. So far, he hadn't seen anything different about him, but he wasn't gonna give up. He knew he was bound to see something eventually. It was only a matter of time.

As he sat watching MMXII, he started to wonder once again if he had made the right decision. He did this a lot, actually. He was just scared that maybe the flaw hadn't worked, or that They would find out about it before he got a chance to act on it and kill Chris and his family. But, once again, he told himself that there's no turning back now.

He had to see this through, no matter the consequences.

 

*************************

 

It had been ten years now, and Chris Irwin was finally starting to notice differences in Machine MMXII. They were small differences, ones that he probably wouldn't notice if he wasn't observing his every move. Like, when they're all told to do something, he got this look on his face like he was unsure of it, but it only lasted for a second before he went along with everyone else. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Chris.

There was a lot more at stake now than there was 10 years ago. He now had a daughter named Lauren and a son named Harry. Ashton was now 12, and They had been studying him very closely. They had recently told Chris that since he is incredibly smart, like his father, They will be taking him in to work for Them when he turns 18. Chris wanted to protest, but he knew that it was pointless to argue. It would've only made Them suspicious of him.

Chris knew he would need to find a way to talk to MMXII in private, to tell him about how he was made differently. If he waited too long, then MMXII might eventually start to rebel, not realizing that that was exactly the opposite of what he should do. If he acted out now, then They would immediately take him down. Now wasn't the right time.

 

*************************

 

Chris Irwin sat at his kitchen table 15 years after MMXII had been created. He had found a way to talk to the machine without anyone overhearing, and had since grown to care for him like a third son. He was doing good at acting as if there was nothing different about him, as if he was exactly like all of the others. Chris hadn't told his family about MMXII yet, but he knew he was going to have to tell Ashton. He was going to be working with him in a year, and Chris knew that, despite the fact he would be putting his son in danger, he needed all of the help he could get. Besides, Ashton would ask questions otherwise.

"Hey, Dad," Chris heard, immediately recognizing the voice as his oldest child, "you okay?"

Chris looked up, smiling at Ashton as he responded, "Come here, son. I need to talk to you."

Ashton looked confused and a little concerned, but he still nodded and sat on the seat across from his father whilst asking, "About what?"

"You know you're going to be working with me next year, right? With the government at the facility?"

"Yeah," Ashton responded.

"Well," Chris began, not really knowing where to start exactly, "do you know what it is that we do at the facility?"

Ashton nods, "Yeah, you create some kind of machines, right? To use in the army or something?"

Chris sighed. If only it were just that. "Kind of. They use the machines for more than just the military, though. We create machines that look, talk, and act as if they are regular people for the government to use for... Certain purposes."

Ashton frowned. "Isn't that bad, though?"

Chris hesitated before answering, not wanting his son to think badly of him. "Well... Yeah." Ashton opened his mouth to say something, but Chris cut him off by holding up a hand and said, "Which is why I created Machine MMXII." Ashton looked confused, but he waited for his father to explain more before he asked any questions. "You see, son, every Machine follows the same code that we put into their systems when we first make them. If there's so much as one thing different in a code, then the whole machine will be off balance.

"15 years ago, I created a flaw in MMXII's code. He is different than the others, and he knows it. I have been looking after him, and next year when you start working at the facility, you will need to do the same," Chris finished, watching his son closely.

Ashton had been listening to his father intently, looking down at his hands before finally looking up at him once he finished. "So, you want me to help you with this MMXII? To, what? Help protect him?"

"Yes, and, if necessary, you will need to help him escape."

Ashton narrowed his eyes at his father. "What do you mean, 'if necessary'?"

Chris sighed. He could see in Ashton's eyes that he knew very well what he meant. "Let's just hope it doesn't come down to that."

 

 

 

 


	2. "you're part of a machine, you are not a human being"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calum escapes the facility, and Chris runs into some trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, the title of this chapter is from the song Gasoline by Halsey, which is actually what gave me the idea for this story.
> 
> Hope you like it! I will try to update quickly, but school's starting up again tomorrow, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have. But I'll try!

"Hey, Calum!" Machine MMXII, or Calum, as Ashton calls him, hears as he walks into the room. Chris looks up at him and smiles before going back to what he was doing before. Calum wants to ask him what he's doing but decides against it.

"Are you okay?" Ashton asks, eyesbrows furrowed in concern. That is one of the many thing Calum will never understand about Ashton. He's always worrying. Calum thinks it's his worst quality. When he mentioned it to Ashton, he had responded with, "My dad always says that the flipside of someone's best quality is their worst quality." Ashton's best quality is that he cares; yet another thing Calum will never understand about him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replies, though judging by the look on his face, he assumes that Ashton knows he's not being totally honest with him. So he continues, "I'm just tired of pretending, you know?"

Ashton nods understandingly, but it's Chris who responds. "I know. Just, try not to give anything away, okay? We can't afford to have our cover blown just yet." Calum nods. He knows Chris is right, he just doesn't want to admit it to him.

 

*****

 

Calum sits at a table with Machines MMXI, MMXIII, MMXIV, MMXV, MMXVI, MMXVII, MMXVIII, MMXV, and MMXX. They all eat their food simultaneously and quietly. Calum hates this. He hates having to act like everyone else, having to do exactly what They tell him to do, no questions asked.

Once everyone has finished all of their food (at the same time), they move on to their training. Calum really doesn't feel like doing this today. He just feels miserable, like something dreadful is about to happen. He hopes it's just a feeling, although it usually isn't.

As soon as they walk into the training room, Calum knows it wasn't just a feeling. In the room where there's usually a pile of dummies, there's a group of people. Real people, alive and breathing. Calum has to try not to show any emotions, keeping a blank look on his face just like the nine other machines in his group.

"Today, we have decided that you guys are ready to practice killing real people." Calum's heart drops down to his stomach. "We figured you were all old enough. Once you pass this test, you will be ready to go on actual missions." Calum looks to the people sitting just a few ways away from them. They're all tied up, and they're mouths are covered with tape. One woman looks directly at Calum, her eyes begging him to help her. Calum looks away quickly, having to try even harder to keep the emotion off his face.

"MMXX. You will go first." The men take one of the people and take off the tape from the person's mouth. MMXX walks forward, taking a gun from the wall of weapons. He then stops in front of the man, who's being held by another one of the workers. He is begging MMXX for mercy, telling him he's done nothing wrong. Ignoring the man, MMXX loads a bullet into the gun and shoots the man three times, shutting him up. The worker holding him let's him go, and he falls onto the floor, his lifeless eyes seeming to stare straight through Calum.

"Good job, MMXX. You have passed the test. You may be dismissed." MMXX looks pleased with himself before leaving the room, presumably to go back to his own room.

As the other machines go, Calum thinks about what all of them are saying. They are all begging for mercy, saying they haven't done anything wrong. Did the government really just take a bunch of innocent people for the machines to practice killing? How is Calum supposed to pretend like he's okay with this?

When it's his turn, he takes a gun from the shelf as the men grab someone from the pile of people. When Calum walks forward to stand in front of the other people, his heart stops. Well, whatever he uses as a heart.

Standing in front of him is the woman who had been staring at him earlier. Although they took the tape off of her mouth, she's not saying anything. She's just watching him, silently begging him. His hands shake slightly as he loads the bullets into the gun slowly, not wanting to rush things. As he aims the gun at the woman, her eyes widen slightly, and she starts to shake.

She's terrified.

Calum starts to wonder what her life was like before this. Did she have a family? Did she have anyone to miss her? Did she have a job? An apartment? Without another thought, he aimed the gun at the man holding the woman and pulled the trigger.

 

*****

 

Calum sprints down the hallway, rushing to find Chris or Ashton. The girl, whose name is currently unknown to him, runs behind him, still not saying anything. Calum thinks it's because she doesn't know what to say.

It's not every day you get dragged by a guy you thought was going to kill you but ended up saving you.

He sees Ashton turn the corner, looking up at the sound of running footsteps. He stops when he notices Calum pulling some girl behind him, both looking pretty panicked. 

"Calum?" He asks, sounding confused and worried. "What's going on?"

The girl stops to catch her breath while Calum is unaffected by all of the running. He says to Ashton, "I'm sorry."

Ashton, who's now starting to look panicked as well, asks warily, "For what? What happened?"

"They wanted me to kill her, Ash. But I couldn't. I just couldn't."

Ashton's hazel eyes widen. "What did you do, Cal?"

Before Calum can respond, they hear an alarm go off above them, and Calum knows that means there's going to be more people going after him now.

"Come on," Ashton says as the three of them run down the corridor. Calum can assume that Ashton is taking them to his dad.

Bursting through the door leading to Chris' office, Ashton yells, "Dad!"

Chris immediately looks to the three of them, eyes lingering on the girl, confusion written clearly on his face, before turning back to his son.

 "They know," Ashton tells him. Chris's eyes widen as he looks to Calum, who's hand is still gripping the girl's wrist protectively.

Looking back to Ashton, he asks, "You know what to do?"

Ashton hesitates before asking, "What about you?"

Chris smiles sadly at his son before saying, "Don't worry about me. Just focus on getting these two out safely."

Calum looks between Chris and Ashton, not quite understanding what's going on. His eyes linger on Chris as he gives him a small smile, telling him, "Stay safe," before Ashton drags him and the girl out of the room. Calum wants to protest, but the three of them are out of the room and running down another corridor before he gets the chance.

Ashton takes them to a door near the back of the facility and hands Calum an envelope. "Here. There's a ship leaving here soon that you can sneak onto. Don't open the envelope until you get off of the ship. Get her back home, and then go somewhere else. No matter what, you have to stay safe, even if that means running every chance you get."

Calum takes the envelope while Ashton continues, "It'll probably be best for you if you didn't get to attached to anything or anyone, and try not to stay in one place for too long. I'll try to contact you if I can, but I'm probably going to be watched very closely from now on. That is, if they don't just kill me." Calum eyes snap up to Ashton then. Surely They wouldn't kill him, would They?

Ashton gives Calum a smile, pulling him into a big hug. "Please stay safe," he whispers to him.

"I will."

Ashton pulls away, gripping Calum's shoulders. "Promise?"

"I promise." With that, Calum grabs the girl's hand again as they exit the building, leaving behind the only family Calum has ever really had.

 

*****

 

It wasn't that hard to find the ship Ashton was talking about, at least not for Calum. The girl still hadn't said anything, not even when they snuck into the ship. It isn't until he thinks she's sleeping when he hears a soft sniffling coming from her. After a while, he realizes that she must be crying.

Calum panics. He's never dealt with a crying girl before. He has no idea what to do, so he crawls over to where she is laying and pulls her into him, letting her tears soak up his shirt. After a while, her crying seems to have stopped, leaving Calum to believe once again that she is asleep, until she starts speaking.

She tells Calum about how it had just been a normal day for her, how she was visiting her parents for the day when all of a sudden, these people came to their house and tried to take her. She tells him about how her mom had screamed when her dad had tried to save her, how he ended up being shot right in front of her and her mom. She tells him about how she had then tried to escape, and how they had tried to take her mom as well. She tells him about how she had managed to get out of the man's grip, only to watch someone stab her mom to death. She then tells him that they had knocked her out, and when she had woken up, she was all tied up with a bunch of other people in the room that Calum had found her in.

Calum doesn't know what to say about any of this. It disgusts him that for 19 years, he's been working with people who are so, so cruel. It disgusts him that that place is where he's grown up, that it's the only place he's ever really seen.

It disgusts him that he still thinks of that place as his home.

As the girl, whose name is still unknown to him, nuzzles her head into the crook of his neck, he hears her mumble two words that would have made his heart melt if he had one.

"Thank you."

Those two words made him forget all about the cruelness of his old home. He thinks about all of the previous events from earlier that day and realizes something.

He doesn't regret any of it.

 

*****

 

Ashton runs back to his dad's office, hoping he's still there. When he finally gets there, he sees the door is closed. As he gets closer, he hears voices coming from the room. As he peeks through the window, he sees his father and some other men. Opening the door as quietly as he can,he sneaks into the room, closing the door as quietly as he opened it. He knows that his dad wouldn't approve of this, but at the moment, he really couldn't care less.

"It was you who created MMXII, Mr. Irwin. You are the only one who could've created this certain flaw in its code." The man says. Ashton hides behind a desk, hoping no one will see him there.

"He," his dad says calmly, "not it, he."

The man smiles coldly. "They're not people, Mr. Irwin. They're machines."

Ashton glares at the man's back. Calum's different. He's not just a machine.

"What about your son?" Ashton freezes. "Did he know about this?"

"Leave Ashton out of this," his father growls. "He's done nothing wrong. It was all me, only me." Ashton stares at his dad incredulously. What is he doing? They're going to kill him! 

Ashton panics, wishing for something he could do to help his dad.

"Tell is where it went!" The man yells at his father, holding him roughly against the wall.

"I can't," his father pleads, "I don't know where he went."

The man snarls at his dad. Then, his snarl turning into a smirk, he says wickedly, "Then, I guess we have no choice then, do we? Execute him!" He yells to some of the other men.

"No!" Ashton jumps up from behind the desk and tries to run to his dad, but doesn't get very far before some other men grab him from behind. He struggles against them, his dad watching him sadly, when he feels someone stab something into his neck. He sees his dad whisper to him three words:

"I love you."

Then everything fades to black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be doing my homework. Oh well.
> 
> Yay! Another chapter done! I'm so sorry about the cliffhanger. I just couldn't resist.
> 
> Shout out to Pink_Strawberries for helping me out with the Roman numerals (I'm hopeless with those).


	3. "take me back to the basics and the simple life"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calum struggles with fitting in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm actually doing this right now.
> 
> The title of this chapter is from EASE by Troye Sivan ft. Broods. I absolutely love that song, and I thought that lyric really fit how Calum feels in this chapter.
> 
> Hope you like it! :)

_"Breaking news: the government is currently trying to find a man. They do not have access to any pictures, but they say he's over 6'0" tall, pretty well built, looks to be around 19 years of age, has black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. But most importantly, he has a tattoo located across the left side of his collarbone. It says, in black ink, the Roman numerals MMXII. They say that if you see a man with this tattoo to alert the authorities immediately and avoid any contact with him. He is extremely dangerous. Thank you."_

Calum tugs at the collar of his shirt self-consciously, knowing his tattoo probably isn't showing but just wanting to be sure. This broadcast has been going on for a few days now, and Calum's starting to feel as if everyone is watching him. It's like, no matter where he goes, he constantly feels someone's eyes on him, watching his every move. He's felt like that his whole life pretty much. Of course, back at the facility it was Chris watching him. Now he's just being paranoid.

Still, that doesn't stop him from looking all around him, just to be sure.

The girl, whose name he eventually learned was Kaitlyn Summers, had thankfully made it back to her apartment safely. She had thanked him once more, promising him that she'll call up her older brother so she wouldn't be alone.

The envelope, which Calum had opened only after they had gotten off of the ship like Ashton said, had contained a lot of money in cash, a cell phone (more like one of those burner phones seen on television), and a note from Chris. Calum hasn't read the note yet, feeling kind of nervous about what it'll say.

Calum looks around the city he's in, feeling slightly overwhelmed by, well... Everything. Calum had been confined within the walls of the facility until about three days ago, always wishing he could be free to roam the world surrounding him. Now that he is, though, a part of him wishes he could go back to the safety of those walls. But the other, more reasonable part of him knows that those walls aren't safe for him anymore. He can't go back. Not now, not ever.

 As he tries his best to maneuver through the busy streets, he finally finds a small shop that doesn't look to be too crowded. He looks all around one more time, still feeling as if someone's watching him. Satisfied, he opens the door and steps into the building.

As soon as he closes the door, he is immediately hit with a smell he recognizes as "coffee." Chris had it a few times, but Calum himself wasn't allowed. Chris said it had something to do with the way he was wired.

There are some tables in the store, and then there are some booths. Calum decides to sit in a booth in the corner, so he wouldn't feel like he's the center of attention.

Sitting down, he slips Chris's note out of his pocket and stares at it, trying to gain the courage to actually read it. He couldn't, though. He already has an idea of what it might read, and the thought makes his insides curl. 

He holds the edges of the note, repeatedly turning it over while he stares into space. His thoughts begin to wander to Ashton once again, something that has occurred many times over the past few days. He wonders how his hazel-eyed friend is, if he managed to save his dad. Calum knows he would've at least tried. Ashton's one of those people who always wants to help in whatever way he can. Calum swears he's an angel, which is another thing he doesn't understand about him.

Suddenly, the feeling that someone's watching him intensifies, causing Calum to believe that someone really is watching him. His eyes snap up only to immediately land on a pair of green eyes staring straight at him. Calum panics, thinking the guy saw his tattoo or something, but then the guy smiles at him, making him forget about any of that. The man is standing behind the counter, so Calum can assume that he works here. He's probably just trying to charm Calum into buying something. Yeah, that's probably it. Instead of smiling back at the employee, Calum looks away, deciding to look out the window at the busy streets.

He immediately regrets it.

There are so many different vehicles passing through the streets, so many different people walking by, so many different buildings surrounding him. That's the problem.

Everything is different.

After so many years of wishing for a little variety, Calum is actually starting to miss the predictability of his old home. It sickens him.

Instead of missing it, he should be hating it. He needs to fit in, not stand out. The more he stands out, the easier it will be for Them to find him. He has to try to fit in. 

And he knows exactly where to start.

Calum looks back to the man behind his counter. He is currently talking to a customer, handing him a drink and saying something Calum reads as "Have a nice day," with a smile. Now that Calum's actually looking at the man, he notices that he has bright red hair. That certainly makes this guy very different. Calum's not sure how much more different he can take. The man also has a piercing on right eyebrow, a little stubble on his chin, and lips that are almost as red as his hair. His ears are pierced as well, something Calum finds strange.

Actually, Calum finds everything about this guy strange.

Except his eyes. His eyes are nice.

Nevertheless, he finds himself standing up and walking towards the strange man, hoping he doesn't regret it.

Without looking up at him, the man at the counter asks Calum, "Hello, what can I get you?"

"Um..." Calum says, confused. "What?"

The man, whose name tag reads 'Michael', looks up at him then. His eyes widen when he sees Calum standing in front of him, and he stutters, "Uh... W-What can I get you?"

"What do you mean?" Calum was just hoping to get some help, but now this strange man is asking him about what he can get him? Okay, now he's starting to regret this.

The man, Michael, blinks at him, clearly feeling confused. He opens his mouth, closes it, then finally opens it again and asks, "What do you want?" He sounds a little unsure, like he's worried he's not asking the right question.

"Help," Calum responds, causing Michael to once again blink in confusion. "I, uh, I need help finding something."

"Oh, so you need some directions?" Michael says, his eyes beginning to fill with understanding. Calum nods. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. "Yeah, sure. What are you looking for?"

"I don't know, some place where they do tattoos?"

Michael gives Calum an odd look before asking, "You mean a tattoo parlor?"

Calum thinks for a bit before giving Michael a confident nod. That sounds like it could be what he's looking for.

Michael smiles at Calum, and he decides that he likes this strange man's smile as well. "My friend works at one that's not far from here. It's called Red Rocket Tattoo. If you go down to the end of the street and turn the corner, it should be one of the first buildings there."

Calum thinks this through a little bit before nodding and asking, "Are they good?"

Michael gives Calum a small chuckle and says, "Yeah, my friend was actually the one who did mine." It was Calum's turn to be confused. This guy has tattoos? 

Calum then notices that Michael is wearing long sleeves, which means his are probably on his arms or something. Before he could ask about it, however, Michael's talking to him again. "Ask for Luke. He's definitely good at what he does."

"Thanks, Michael," Calum says. Michael smiles at him, and Calum suddenly forgets about how strange this guy is. His smile seems to do that to Calum. It makes Calum forget things, and he hates it. He hates Michael's smile. Yet somehow, he finds himself giving Michael a soft smile in return before forcing himself to turn away and walk back out into the busy streets of the city.

 

*****

 

Calum walks through the doors of Red Rocket Tattoo. He walks up to the counter where a lady is sitting, not paying any attention to him whatsoever. After a while, he clears his throat, causing the woman to sigh in annoyance. 

"Name?" She asks him, sounding extremely bored.

"Calum," he tells her, watching as she scribbles it down. She pauses before looking back up at him expectantly.

"Last name?" She asks finally. It never occurred to Calum that he was going to need to think of a last name for himself. He could always just say 'Irwin', but that might be to obvious.

He thought about how Ashton had always told him about this guy in a fairytale. Ashton loved this guy, how he stole from the rich to give to the poor. Ashton had always said it reminded him of his dad, how they broke the law carelessly for the good of the people.

"Hood," he says finally. "Calum Hood."

 

*****

 

"Hello, sir. I'm Luke. Now, what can I do for you?"

Calum looks up from where he was staring to see a blue-eyed, blonde, lanky _giant_ standing in front of him. Seriously, this guy is even taller than Chris. Calum also can't help but notice the black hoop sitting on the left of his bottom lip. Makes sense, considering he's friends with the strange man with the nice eyes.

"Um, I'd like to see if I can get something removed?" Calum says, though it ends up sounding more like a question.

Luke looks at him, eyes narrowed. "Unless you mean to get a tattoo removed, I can't help you."

"See, that's the thing." Calum chews on his lip, knowing what he's about to say will make no sense, especially to Luke. "I'm not sure you can call it a tattoo because I was kind of, um, "born" with it."

"So, a birthmark?"

Calum sighs. He's not sure how he can make Luke understand. 

"No, it's... I don't know."

"...Well, where is it?"

Calum looks at Luke before he reluctantly tells him, "Just, don't tell anyone, okay?"

Luke looks a little confused before he nods, saying, "Yeah, okay."

Calum then pulls down the collar of his shirt to show him the black ink sitting across the left of his collarbone. Luke looks at it for a moment, eyebrows furrowing in a way that makes Calum think of Ashton. Suddenly, a look of realization crosses his face, alerting Calum that he's seen the broadcast.

Of course he has, it's been playing nonstop since the day he escaped.

"Please don't turn me in, I will literally pay you anything," Calum pleads, but Luke cuts him off.

"Don't worry about it. I can keep a secret." Calum stares at this guy incredulously. 

"Seriously? You're just going to keep my secret?" Luke nods. "Why? You don't even know me. I mean, for all you know, I could be a very dangerous serial killer who's taking advantage of you to help myself get away unnoticed."

Luke laughs. "A few seconds ago, you were practically begging me to not turn you in."

Calum looks at Luke blankly. "I don't want you to turn me in."

Luke laughs again. "So, you were born with this, uh, mark?"

Calum sits quietly for a moment, pondering what had just happened, before responding, "Um, yeah, I guess. It's the only way that They know for sure it's me. I can change my appearance a bit, but no matter what, if they see this " mark" on my collarbone, they'll know its really me."

Luke nods. He studies the mark for a minute and then says to Calum, "I can try to get it off, but I can't promise I'll be successful."

"That's alright," Calum tells Luke truthfully. "That's all I ask."

"Okay, now this may hurt a bit."

Doubt it.

 

*****

 

"I'm sorry," Luke says for the hundreth time. "I mean, it's not too noticeable. You'll just have to avoid swimming."

Swimming? Calum wondered if that was one of the things he could automatically do without any practice. It's not like he'll be able to find out, anyways. "It's fine, Luke. You tried your best."

"Maybe you can get some other tattoos to make it look more natural."

"No, that's-" Calum starts, but after thinking about it, he finishes, "actually not a terrible idea." Something Ashton would come up with. This Luke guy is really starting to make Calum miss Ashton.

Luke's face lights up, making him look kind of like an excited puppy. "Really? Great!" Luke stands up from where he was sitting next to Calum and starts pacing around the room. "So, what are you thinking?"

"What do you mean?"

"For the tattoos." Luke stops in front of Calum and studies him, like he's trying to get a picture in his head. "Hmm. Maybe you could put one on the right of your collarbone, and then put some on your left arm. That'll definitely help it blend."

Calum nods in agreement, though he's not sure he totally understands what Luke's telling him. "Okay, what do you want? I can do pretty much whatever," Luke explains to him.

"Um... I'm not sure."

"Okay, well, uh, what's your name again?"

"Calum." Luke smiles at him with an aweful look in his eyes. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just, that name. It's of a Gaelic origin. It means 'dove.' It's quite beautiful, actually." Luke says, with the same aweful look in his eyes.

"Why?" Calum asks. He had never understood why Ashton had decided to call him Calum. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it means 'dove.'

"Well, a dove is a very symbolic bird. I mean, it symbolizes love, grace, promise, devotion, divinity, holiness, sacrifice, maternal, ascension, purification, messenger, and hopefulness." 

Hopefulness.

Ashton had always been one to never lose hope. Calum envies that about Ashton. He himself always loses hope so easily, but then he sees Ashton, clinging on to whatever hope he has left like it's the only thing keeping him from falling off the edge. It always makes Calum believe that maybe he shouldn't let go just yet, like he should try a little harder. Ashton always seemed to have that kind of affect on him.

Luke chews on his lip ring with a thoughtful look on his face. Then, a smile starts to spread across it, his blue eyes brightening. "What if you got a dove right here," he gestures towards Calum's forearm, "and then a feather right here?" He puts his hand on Calum's bare chest (he had to take his shirt off so he could try to get the "MMXII" off) to show him where he thinks the feather tattoo should go. 

"Yeah, okay," Calum agrees. Luke smiles, getting right on it.

"Alright, so just sit back, relax, and watch the magic happen. Actually, you know what? Don't watch. I get kind of nervous when I'm the center of attention."

Calum can relate.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another chapter is finished! I'm starting to get really excited about this story.
> 
> So, what do you think? To lashton or not to lashton? Because I still can't decide.
> 
> The next chapter's going to be in Ashton's point of view, so be prepared for that.


End file.
